


Maybe in another life

by Beautiful_Minds



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Character Death, Depression, M/M, Sad Ending, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-19 22:06:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15519627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beautiful_Minds/pseuds/Beautiful_Minds
Summary: Maybe in another life Ed could have loved Roy.





	Maybe in another life

**Author's Note:**

> This didn't turn out like planned. I just kind of sat down and threw up a story. Probably will edit it later. We will see how it goes.

If they had to do it all over again, maybe things wouldn't have ended up like this. Maybe they wouldn't have pushed each other so hard. Maybe the late nights could have turned into late mornings. Maybe they wouldn't have been so hard headed. Maybe they would have been more accepting. Maybe they could have been more loving. Maybe they could have done this right. 

But then it wouldn't have been Roy and Ed.

The yelling, pushing, snapping was how they showed that they still cared for one another. The kissing, cuddling, and small smiles was also how they showed that they still cared for one another.

Edward was never one to settle down, it began the first of many problems for Roy. He had waited 30 years for Ed and he was still willing to wait longer. He had understood the teens needs and fulfilled them while still letting him run around and do as he pleased. He was young, still is quite young, but he had done a lot of traveling in his years. Roy let him be free as he figured out what he wanted after Roy had made up his mind.

Roy was always patient with the shit storm that is Edward Elric. They had been together for a while, he had opened up his home and even given Edward a key. He insisted that it was Ed's home to return to whenever he pleased. After long missions it comforted both of them, being able to hold someone at night. Being able to love someone without fear. 

Roy honestly should have seen it coming.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn't but a week after defeating Fuhrer Bradley, or Greed, rather. Mustang had a lot of time to think while laying in that hospital bed. He realized that the only thing he wanted more than anything was Ed to be next to him. He did come and talk the mans ear off about how he could have died and what a fucking idiot bastard he was. He's pretty sure he even heard the boy cry, but his eyes hadn't opened yet, so maybe he'll never know. Ed will deny it if he ever asked of course. 

So it wasn't much of a surprise when Roy had told the office his plans to propose to Ed. Everyone was ecstatic of the thought of him settling down for good. Especially Havoc, who might have asked for his little black book, since he wouldn't be needing it and all anymore, so he was doing him a favor by taking it off of his hands is how he worded it. 

It's how Roy found himself in the middle of the living room on one knee, asking Ed to marry him. Ed was shocked to say the least. His breath hitched as he came into the room with two steaming mugs of freshly brewed tea. It was a surprise however that Ed ended up squeezing the mug so hard in his auto mail hand that it shattered. But neither of them moved to clean it up. 

"Ed, I love you. I don't know a lot of things anymore, but I do know that I want you by my side while we figure it out. I want you to temperately move in. I want you to settle down with me. You're not an alchemist anymore and you don't have to keep running. I want to marry you, Ed. Alphonse gave me his blessing and now I'm asking, Ed, Marry me?" Roy asked and opened up the small velvet box he had been holding to reveal a beautiful engraved silver band. 

But Ed remained stunned. After he realized Roy had stopped talking he set the intact mug on the table and wiped his hands off on a kitchen towel. "Roy," He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

Roy stood up and walked closer. "Please, Ed?" he asked once more causing Ed to step back. "Roy, I can't. I'm not staying." He said and shook his head. "I just...have other priorities in my life right now. I don't want to settle down. I'm not done traveling. I'm going to Xing with Al." He said and pushed past him. "I don't want to make this harder than it has to be. I just don't feel the same. I'm sorry I led you on. I thought it was something I wanted." He shook his head again, his throat had never felt dryer in his life. 

As for Roy, it felt like the life had been sucked out of him. "What?" He asked and turned around. He grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back. "You're what? After all of this, you're leaving?" He asked and Ed yanked his arm back. "Yes, especially after all of this! I don't want to be here. My business here is done. Al has his body back." He said and looked down. He really did feel awful for leading Roy on. But he had the information he needed at the time. He helped. 

Roy furrowed his eyebrows. "So what? You're just done with me? Are you fucking serious?" he asked and threw the velvet box at the wall behind the smaller man. "You are so fucking scared of commitment. That's coming from me. All you have ever done is use people, Ed. You're fucking despicable. You're going to have to stop running one day. You can't keep burning down your houses like a child." He seethed and Ed had already put on his boots. 

"Don't you EVER make judgement about the things I have done. That is for me to give a damn about, NOT you." he said and grabbed the door handle, yanking it open causing Roy's eyes to soften. "Ed, wait. Hold on." He pleaded and reached out for him, but Ed already had a foot out of the door. "I'm sorry, just forget about me." Ed said as he quickly left the house, leaving Roy alone, barefoot on the dark front porch.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The first few days without Ed home weren't terrible. He did call out of work, claiming he was sick, but that was his business. He was waiting. Waiting for Ed to come back home. He knew it, any minute he was going to come walking in like he always done, leaving a trail of clothes behind him as he rambled on about people being idiots.

It wasn't until the phone started to ring one night that he perked up and went to answer it. His speech came out slurred from his many glasses of whiskey, but it was his voice all the same. "Mustang residence." He answered and listened to the hushed voice on the other side of the phone. It was Alphonse. "General? Sorry to be calling so late. I just wanted to check on you now that brother is asleep." He said quietly which made Roy frown. "Oh, I'm fine. Thank you for asking. Just waiting for Ed to come home. It's late." He said and rubbed his eyes to look at the clock on the wall. It was nearing midnight already. 

"Oh. Mustang? I'm really sorry. But I don't think brother is coming back. At least not tonight. We made it to Xing today." he said and looked over at his brother who was fast asleep still. "Ah right. I remember him telling me about that. Well have him send a letter will you?" he asked and Al sighed. "I don't think that would be a good idea. I am really sorry about what he did to you. I didn't know that he was just using you to help me or I would have never let him do it." He told him and Roy finished his glass, setting it down with a loud clink. 

"It's quite all right. I waited a long time. I think I can wait some more. He always comes home." He told Al and smiled at the thought of Ed coming home like usual. He heard a loud bang from the background along with some arguing and rustling. It sounded like Ed had woken up and wasn't very happy.

Ed cleared his throat before taking the phone from Al. "Mustang. You need to leave me alone. I already told you I'm not coming back...I'm seeing someone...and I'm happy here." He said and Roy's grip tightened on the phone. Deep down both of them new it was a lie. Ed just wanted him to get over him. Roy just sighed. "I see. I suppose it is late then. Goodnight Ed." He said and heard the phone line go dead. "I love you." he said as he put the phone back. 

The thought of Ed not coming back was killing him. Literally, he was drinking himself to death but it kept him thinking, believing that he hadn't thrown away his life for someone who didn't love him. He drank and looked through a photo album, wishing that Maes was there with him during these tough times. He cried and laughed as he remembered stories of the both of them. 

It was the last shot that ended his pain. The last glass of whiskey laid down next to an untouched one that he had left for Ed, along with a note. It wasn't until morning that the news began to spread. Roy had finally done it . Not even Ishbal could make him pull the trigger, he had been a coward then. But for Ed, he was fearless. 

Riza broke the news to the office. She blamed herself for not checking up on him. Havoc blamed himself for making fun of him so much. Of course, Ed blamed himself when he found out. 

The funeral was a few days after, the Elric's came back to pay their respects to the man that had saved their lives and helped them be the people they had become. It wasn't until Ed had been given the note that he cried. He came before the service and cried on the casket, beating on it, hoping it was all a sick joke to get him to come back. "You fucking bastard! You've always been a fucking coward! Why now? Why me?" He screamed and cried. Al eventually had to pull him away after he tried to open the casket. 

They attended the service but stayed in the back, Ed fighting back tears as everyone gave him a dirty look and pointed. If he had the chance he would have taken it all back and done it over again. But he learned his lesson from the gate a long time ago. 

All of this pain over a fucking ring. 

Maybe things would have been different if Ed loved him back. 

Instead he was crying silently in the back of a crowd with a note clutched to his chest for dear life.

~You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey, you'll never know dear, how much I love you.....You took my sunshine away.  
I love you, Ed. I'm sorry. Maybe in another life things will be different. -Roy ~


End file.
